Bearing.



P. H. SMITH.

BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.27, 1910.

1,017,115, v v Patented Feb.f13,1912.`

., r r v" Inventor l 'l u Attorneys FREDERICK H. SMITH, OF PITTSBURG,KANSAS.

BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten Feb. 13%, 1912'.

Application filed December 27, 1910. Serial No. 599,365.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Crawford and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Bearing, of which the following is aspecification.

rlhe present invention relates to journal bearings in general.

In those bearings which embody wedges which take up wear, the wedges areto be adjusted bodily and t solidly between the related elements of thebearing. For this and other reasons, frequent adjustment of the wedge isrendered necessary.

The present invention therefore has as its primary object to provide anexpansible wedge or other bearing element expanded by fluid pressure andin this manner adjustled to take up wear and have its engagement betweenthe related elements of the bearing cushioned. i

A further aim of the invention is to so construct the expansible wedgethat it will, under the action of the fluid pressure, have a normaltendency to expand, so that wear will be automatically taken up. Whileit will of course be necessary at times to adjust the wedge, theadjustments are not required to be made so frequently as in the casewhen the wedge is solid.

The invention aims further to provide a fluid-cushioned bearing element.

Further the invention aims to provide a bearing wedge adapted to bedisposed in relatively fixed relation between its companion element ofthe bearing and be adjusted solely by fluid pressure.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved liner forbearing wedges.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a view in elevation of abearing here illustrated as one of the drive axle bearings of alocomotive, illustrating the principles of the invention embodiedtherein. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view in detail through the wedgeof the bearing. Fig. 3 is a hori zontal sectional view on the line 3*3of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4; is adetailed perspective of one of the piston disks of the wedge.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a portion of theunder frame of a locomotive and a jaw of this frame is indicated by thenumeral G, the bottom member of the frame being indicated by the numeral7 and being firmly secured by bolts or other suitable fastening devicesthrough the lower ends of the jaws of the frame. Mounted to slide in theframe, in the usual manner, is a bearing box 8 of the ordinaryconstruction in which box is to be journaled the drive axle of thelocomotive. One jaw of the frame indicated specifically by the numeral 6has an inclined edge presented toward the box 8 and the wedge in theconstruction of which the principles of the present invention areembodied, is fitted between the inclined edge of the jaw 6 of the frameand the box S.

The wedge embodying the principles of the invention includes a body 9one face of which, indicated specifically by the numeral 10, is planeand parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. At each side, thisface has formed upon it an under cut flange 11 and fitted between theflanges and against the said face is the liner for the wedge, presentlyto be specifically described. The opposite face of the wedge is alsoplane and is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bodyof the wedge and to the plane of the first mentioned face 10. The lastmentioned face of the wedge is indicated by the numeral 12 and at eachside is formed with a flange 13 which flanges of course increase inheight toward their ends corresponding to the end of the face 12 whichis located near the longitudinal axis of the wedge. It is this latterface 12 which is moved against the inclined edge of the jaw 6 of theframe and the flanges 13 extend at opposite sides of the jaw so that thewedge is firmly held against lateral displacement.

The bottom bar 7 is held against the lower end of the wedge and servesto clamp the wedge in place, it being understood that this wedge is notadjustable in the direction of its length as is the ordinary wedge butis expanded in a manner to be presently explained, whereby to take upwear. The body of the wedge is formed with a longitudinally extendingbore 141: which is in communication with a plurality of seats or sockets15 formed in the face 12 of the body of the wedge. It is preferable thatthese sockets be circular and that the bore extend axially of the bodyso that the sockets decrease in depth in succession toward the upper endof the wedge in Fig. 2 of the drawing. It is furthermore preferable thatthe bore 14;

loro

should transect the bottoms of the seats or sockets andthat the bottomwalls of the vsaid seats should be concaved to a greater or 18 split andhaving its ends overlapped as at 19 so as to prevent the escape aroundthe ring of the liquid under pressure in the bore and seats. Atl thispoint it will be readily understood that while the disks 16 fit snuglyand exactly in their respective sockets 15, they are capable of beingforced out in the manner of a moving piston, due to the pressure of thefluid in the bore and seats. That the capacity of the seats may befurther increased without material-ly adding to the thickness of theWedge, the inner faces of the piston disks 16 are concaved as at 19.

A bushing 20 is threaded at its upper end in the lower end of the bore14: in the body of the wedge and extends through the bottom bar 7 of theframe and is interiorly screw threaded as at 21. A screw plug 22 isfitted in the bushing and at the time of initial adjustment of the wedgeto the bearing, the plug assumes about the position shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing. When the wedge has been properly positioned and it isdesired to tighten the same or in other words to expand the same betweenthe jaws 6 of the frame, and the box, the plug 22 is screwed into thebushing 20 thereby placing the oil or grease which is illustrated ascontained in and filling the bore 141 and seats 15 back of the pistondisks under a greater or less degree of pressure. This compression ofthe grease or oil in t-he bore and seats will result in the piston disksbeing forced outwardly in the manner of a moving piston and against theedge of the jaws 6 of the frame. This movement of the piston disks willof course serve to bodily force the wedge, at its opposite side, againstthe box 8. In other words, the compression of the grease or oil in thebore and seats serves to expand the wedge between the jaws and box 8 andthe said grease or oil under pressure in the body of the wedge serves asa cushion and, as the liner or box wears down, th'e tendency of thegrease or oil to expand will cause the wedge to be automaticallyadjusted to take up this wear. In order to tighten the wedge in place,it is only necessary to further screw the plug 22 into the bushing 20,as will be readily understood.

In order to eifectually prevent the leakage of grease or oil around thepacking ring 18, each piston disk 16 is formed in its concaved face 19with a plurality of openings 23 which communicate with the groove 17 inthe periphery of the disks and serve to coriduct a small quantity of thegrease or oil to the packing ring for the purpose stated.

The liner for the wedge is indicated by the numeral 241 and is formed ofaV sheet of any suitable material disposed against the face 10 of thewedge body and having its side edges beveled as at 25 and fitting in theundercut flanges 11, of the said face 10. That face of the liner whichis disposed against the wedge body is formed with recesses 26 designedto contain lubricant and with openings 27 which open into these recesses and serve to conduct the lubricant to the side of the box 8 whichfits and slides against the liner.

From the foregoing description of the invention it will be readilyunderstood that the principles of the invention may be embodied in anyelement of the journal bearing such for example as in the box 8 itself,or in the frame 5. Furthermore, it is not essential that the principlesof the invention be embodied in an element of a bearing identical withthat here illustrated as an element of any bearing may be in this mannerconstructed.

' W'hat is claimed is:

1. A journal-bearing wedge expanded by fluid pressure.

2. A journal-bearing wedge having a cushion under fluid pressure.

3. A journal-bearing wedge panded by fluid pressure.

4. A journal-bearing wedge embodying fluid pressure expanding means.

5. A journal-bearing wedge embodying a movable face, and fluid pressureadjusting means acting thereagainst.

6. A journal-bearing wedge having an adjustable element, and fluidpressure means for adjusting the element.

7. A journal-bearing wedge having an eX- pansible element responsive tofluid pressure.

8. A fluidcushioned wedge.

9. An expansible journal-bearing wedge containing a. fluid, and meansfor compressing the fiuid to expand the wedge.

10. An expansible journal-bearing wedge containing a fluid, andadjustable means for compressing the fluid to expand the wedge.

11. A journal-bearing wedge containing a fluid, an adjusting pistonarranged to be acted upon by the iiuid, and means for applying pressureto the fluid.

12. A journal-bearing wedge-containing a fluid, an adjusting pistonarranged to be acted upon by the fluid, and means for, applying pressureto the fluid, the means being adjustable to vary the degree ofVpressure.

13. A journal-bearing wedge containing a laterally exjournal bearing Yfluid, adjusting pistons arranged to be acted upon in like manner by thefluid, and to like degree, and means for applying pressure to the Huid.

14. A journal-bearing Wedge containing a. iuid, adjusting pistonsarranged to be acted upon in like manner by the fluid, and to likedegree, and means for applying pressure to the fluid, the means beingadjustable to Vary the degree of pressure.

15. A journal-bearing element containing a fluid, an adjusting pistonarranged to be acted upon by the fluid, and means for applying pressureto the fluid.

16. A journal-bearing Wedge containing a fluid, a piston disk tted inone face of the Wedge and arranged to be acted upon by the i'luid, andmeans for applying pressure to the fluid.

17. A journal-bearing Wedge recessed in one face, a cushioning pistonfitted in the Wedge, the Wedge being formed With a bore in communicationWith the recess, a cushioning piston disk tted in the recess, a fluid inthe bore and recess, and means closing the bore and exerting pressureupon the fluid.

18. A journal-bearing Wedge formed in one face With a recess, the Wedgebeing formed With a bore in communication With the recess, a cushioningdisk fitted in the recess, a fluid in the bore and recess, and meansclosing the bore and adjustable to eX- ert a greater or less degree ofpressure upon the Huid.

19. A j ournal-bearing Wedge formed in one face with a recess and havinga bore in communication With the recess, a fluid in the bore and recess,a cushioning and adjusting piston disk fitted in the recess and arrangedto be acted upon by the fluid, and means threaded into the bore andclosing the same and arranged to eXert a greater or less degree ofpressure upon the fluid.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aliixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FREDERICK H. SMITH.

Witnesses:

C. W. PATMON, W. G. WoLFE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

